Central Kalahari Game Reserve Travel Guide

Central Kalahari Game Reserve

Tau Pan Camp

Rory Sheldon

Accommodation

The Kalahari is one of my favourite places to visit in Botswana, but it can be hard to find the right camp to fit the budget and experience. There are not very many camps out here, and visitors often confuse areas of the Kalahari with neighboring Makgadikgadi Pans as well as lodges along the Boteti area. Kalahari camps are austere, but they’re surrounded by wildlife and are a great place to see lions and leopards. Of the few camps out here, my top recommendation is Tau Pan, owned by Kwando Safaris, a great Botswana-based company. Tau Pan is located within the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Situated on its own waterhole it has the best location anywhere in the Kalahari with abundant wildlife sightings – especially lions. But my favourite thing about Tau Pan is the amazing bushman walks offered by the camp, walking with a San bushman and learning about his lifestyle and culture while he shows you how to track wildlife. You can also do night walks and stargazing. It’s a magical place. A close runner up to Tau Pan is Dinaka, owned by Ker&Downey. It sits just north of the reserve with some interesting biodiversity and brown hyena often sighted. These are both upper range camps, both reached by air. If the budget doesn’t stretch that far, you’ll find more affordable camps in Ghanzi and around Deception Valley. These are a lot more budget orientated, but the game viewing is nowhere near as good. I find the best time to visit is between April to August. One can self drive to Ghanzi, but you need to get on a charter flight leaving from Maun to get to Tau Pan and Dinaka.

Central Kalahari Game Reserve

Taste true wilderness in the Central Kalahari

Anthony Ham

Measuring 52,000 square kilometres, I think this vast wilderness is a signature Botswana safari experience. Known for its golden grasslands, salt pans, sand dunes covered in vegetation and wide former river valleys, it’s a soulful experience that’s custom-made for a self-drive safari. The mammal density and diversity are not quite a match for the northern parks making it less well-suited to first-time safari travellers but for the feel of a true African wilderness, CKGR is tough to beat. Hugging the park’s northern boundary, the Hainaveld consists of a handful of compact, segregated, privately-owned reserves. The denser habitat means the landscape is less scenic than inside the park, but pumped waterholes concentrate the game in the dry season. Several of the lodges employ local Kalahari bushmen with legendary tracking skills, who will also teach you about their way of life on a guided walk.

Central Kalahari Game Reserve

Camp out in Khutse Game Reserve

Anthony Ham

The southern extension of the CKGR, Khutse gets very few visitors (except on weekends). I love its remote campsites (I once slept here, 40 km from the nearest person), its classic Kalahari scenery, and its lions, leopards and so much more.